There is a lot going on in the U.S right now pertaining to race and culture. One thing that doesn’t really get notice is the fashion industry and its cultural appropriation issues. People notice it, but no one really speaks on it.
Recently, during New York Fashion Week, a panel was held called “Fashion Culture and Justice: A NYFW Dialogue” sponsored by Parsons School of Design at The New School and Chromat. Those who participated were Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief Elaine Welteroth; Aurora James, the creative director of Brother Vellies; Anastasia Garcia, fashion photographer and body positive activist; and Amy Farid, a fashion industry hairstylist.
Each woman shared their experiences in a whitewashed industry. I was excited that Elaine Welteroth was a part of this because she is the Editor-in-Chief for Teen Vogue and I love that magazine. I think this is exactly what we need in the fashion journalism world and definitely in the media.
It shows the other side for those who don’t understand the issue and what makes people upset. I even learned some things from listening to their panel. For instance, the Native American headpiece has to be earned. You can’t just be given them as we Americans think, and you definitely can’t be nude while wearing one ,which more places are trying to do it seems.
Amy Farid, a hairstylist and Native American, made a great point when it came to using things from other cultures. She reiterated the importance of researching what you want to use. She said it wouldn’t hurt, because if you’re really interested in the culture, then you would want to know where certain customs come from and why.
The problem is most don’t care, they just want to wear it because it’s cool. “You don’t want to really live our lives and see what we go through,” said Farid.
She is completely right. She explained what she said with a great example, a lot of streetwear comes from kids who can’t afford the nicer things and make do with what they have. You’re basically taking their struggle and glorifying it, then telling them it’s not acceptable for them to wear.
“When we take ideas from people who don’t have the means to promote their own ideas themselves, we’re not displaying equality,” said Aurora James. I think what she said is the best explanation of what’s happening; she also refers to it as stealing rather than mixing or coming together in response to a quote from Marc Jacobs.
His quote basically showed how the other side thinks about cultural appropriation and how it comes off whiny when you’re complaining about not being able to use something that was never made for your benefit. “There seems to be this strange feeling that you can be whoever you want as long as it’s ‘yours,’ which seems very counter to the idea of cross-pollination, acceptance, and equality,” said Jacobs.
Everyone on the panel said the same thing, this was a whiny attempt to validate stealing and not giving credit where it’s due. It’s whining about offending someone.
The worst part is how many people know of Marc Jacobs and how many people follow him. James made a good point in saying he has the power to persuade people to believe what he believes, and it’s better when people in general don’t have a bunch of yes man around. If everybody thinks the same that you’re around, you’ll never get another perspective.
As they said on the panel, there needs to be more diversity at the table. There needs to be someone there saying, “No, this isn’t right. This could cause issues, etc.” There has to be somebody who isn’t afraid to speak up and speak the truth, speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.
One of the last great points they made was a lot of the times it isn’t acceptable to wear certain things, but it’s OK when it’s appropriated and for fashion. You’ve been trying to change yourself to fit in and it’s a slap in the face when they do it, is what they said. This is the overall reason people get upset because it’s OK for young white women to wear cornrows but young black women were just getting kicked out of school for wearing a hairstyle they’ve worn since they can remember.
You’re stealing someone’s cultural aesthetic and telling them they can’t wear it but praising others for doing the same. You’re not giving credit where credit is due and no one is respecting those who the trends come from. It’s unfair and needs to change.